Faucet



Nov. 1,1936.

A. L. Boscow ET AL FAUCET Filed May '7, 193s Patented Nov. 1, 1938UNiTED STATES FAUCET Arthur L. oscow and Arnold V. Worthington, Oakland,Calif.

Application May 7, 1936, Serial No. 78,390

2 Claims.

The invention relates to faucets and more particularly to domestic waterfaucets such as the common sink or basin faucet.

An object of the invention is to provide a faucet of the characterdescribed which, in addition to its' usual use as a basin or sinkfaucet, may be quickly and easily converted into a drinking fountain andwill automatically control fluid flow therethrough when changed from oneform a faucet of the character above described which may be readilyadjusted to produce a proper height of liquid discharge for drinkingwhen installed in a water or otheruid systems of different pressures.

A further object of the invention is to provide a faucet of thecharacter described, which will be simple and inexpensive inmanufactureand which may be embodied inthe existing types of faucets withoutrequiring a substantial change in their construction.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, somelofwhich, with the foregoing will be set forth in the following descriptionof the preferred form of the invention. It is to be understood, however,that variations in the mode of effecting the invention as' explained inthe description may be adapted within the scope of the invention as setforth in the claims. s

Referring to said drawing:

Figure l is a plan view of a faucet constructed in accordance with thepresent invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View of the faucet taken substantially on theplane of `line. 2--2 indicated in Figure 1 and showing the' faucetarranged in conventional form. I

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2 but showing the faucetarranged as a drinking fountain.

The faucet illustrated in the accompanying drawing is of the common sinkor basin type comprising, a pair of spaced valve casings '6 and 'I whichare provided with inlet passages 8 and 9 arranged for connection to thehot and cold water mains I I and I2 and have a common interconnectingmixing conduit chamber I3 to which is connected, by means of a swivelhead I4, a discharge conduit I6. In accordance with the more or lessstandard design of this general type,

the faucet casings 6 and 'I are provided with the manually controlledvalves I'I and I8 which are interpositioned between the inlet passages 8and 3 and the mixing .Chamber I3 for regulating the amount of hot andcold water admitted to the f chamber I3 for discharge through thekconduit I6.

Preferably the conduit I6, as by means of the swivel head I4, ispivotally connected to the conduit I3 for movement about a vertical axisto permit the positioning of the conduit I6 at various horizontalpositions' over the sink or basin in `connection with which it is used.As here shown, this pivtol connection is provided by threading a reducedlower end I9 of the head I4 into a raised offset portiony 2I provided onan intermediate portion of the-conduit I3 and providing these engagedportions with registration passages 22 and 23,v which are communicatedby way of thepassage 23 with thel mainpassage 24 provided in the conduitI3. Preferably a packing gland 26 is secured to the portionsk I9 and 2|for preventing leakage.

As an important feature of ,the faucet the outer or Vdischarge end 25 ofthe conduit I6 is angularly related to the length of the conduit and, inaccordance with the present invention, the conduitois pivotallyassociated with the head Ill for rotation about a generally horizontalaxis whereby the discharge end 25 of the conduit may be disposed in adownwardly opening position for use as a conventional faucet, or may bepositionedinv an upwardly opening direction to convert the faucet into adrinking fountain. VAs will be understood, thisconversion feature madepossible by the combination of the angularly related discharge end ofthe conduit and the swivel or pivotal connection of the conduit with thehead I fl entails substantially no change in the conventional faucetconstruction, except for'the embodiment of vthese features in thedischarge conduit and the swivel head Ill of the faucet.

The pivotal connection between the conduit I3 and the swivel head I 4 isillustrated in the accompanying drawing in Figures 2 and 3, where, asshown the head I4 is provided with a hori- Zontally extending opening orcylinder 2l which is communicated at a side with the passage 22 andwhich rotatably receives an end 28 of the conduit I6, the latter beingheld in the opening against longitudinal withdrawal by means of apacking gland 29 secured to the head I4 and mounted about the conduit I6at the outer side of an annular shoulder 3I which is preferablycontained within a recess 32, formed in the outer face 33 of the head.

As another important feature of the present invention there isincorporated within the faucet an vautomatically controlled liquid flowmeans which will afford, in the downward position of the end of thedischarge conduit, a full and unimpeded iow of fluid from the faucet,but will effect a reduction in the fluid flow when the conduit I6 isturned to provide a drinking fountain so that the height of the fountainwill be conlined to a desired amountto permit convenient drinkingtherefrom by the user. In the present design this automatic flow controlmeans is provided directly in the connection between the conduit I6 andthe swivel head I4. As will be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the inner end28 of the conduit is extended directly across the passage 22 `in thehead and the inner extremity 34 of the conduit end is closed whereby theonly fluid flow from passage 22 into the conduit I6 is afforded througha pair of circumferentially spaced openings 36 and 31 through the wallof the end 28 and in the plane of the passage 22. In accordance with thepresent arrangement these openings are provided vat diametrically spacedpositions on the circumference of the conduit so that on rotation of theconduit Ithese openings may be advanced into registration Vwith thepassage 22 to lcommunicate the discharge conduit I6 with this latterpassage when the end 25 is in its upward and downward position, theopening 31 being registered with the passage 22 when the discharge endof the conduit is turnedV to the downward opening position, and theopening 36 being placed in registration with the passage 22 when thedischarge end 25 of the conduit is rotated to an upward openingposition. Thus, openings 36 and 31 control the amount of liquid which isdischarged from the conduit in its fountain and faucet positionsrespectively, and since a substantially less ilow is desired for adrinking fountain the opening 36 is considerably smaller than theopening 31. Generally, since little or no reduction of pressure isdesired when the conduit is in usual faucet position, the opening 31desirably approximates the size of the passage 22 whereby nosubstantial'constriction will be produced. On the other hand, since buta relatively low column of liquid is desired with the conduit in adrinking `fountain position the opening 36 will need be relativelysmaller for the ordinary range of pressures present in various watersupply systems. In order, however, that the height of the fountainpmaybeV accurately adjusted for different liquid pressures we preferablyprovide means for changing the effective size of the opening 36. In theembodiment of the invention here illustrated this is provided byadjusting the longitudinal position of the conduitk in the opening 21Vand thereby adjusting the amount of the opening 36 exposed to thepassage 22 by the installation or removal of one or more of a pluralityof shims or washers 38 at the inner side of the annular shoulder 3l.While this adjustment is a very slight one, it will have an appreciableeffect on the opening 36 due to its relative smallness, but willordinarily have no appreciable action on the opening 31 due to itsrelatively greater size.

The positioning of the openings 36 and 31 at diametrically spacedpositions on the circumference of the conduit end 28 leaves theintermediate portion YofY the circumference entirely` irnperforate' andas the conduit I6 is rotated to an intermediate position, that is, withthe end 25 more or less horizontally disposed and with the openings 36and 31 removed from the passage 22, there will be complete stoppagel ofthe fluid ilow through the conduit. This is of particular importance inthe type of faucet here illustrated embodying both a hot and cold watervalve, since onceV a desired mixture of hot and cold water has beenadjusted the uid flow may be stopped or established by merely rotatingthe conduit I6 without interfering with the hot and cold water controlvalves I1 and I8 or disturbing the relative proportion of the hot andcold water delivered therefrom. Also in turning the conduit from faucetto drinking fountain position the large flow of water present in thefirst position Willbe automatically stopped entirely and thenire-established at a reduced flow for proper drinkingr fountain heightwithout requiring any change in the setting of .the valves I1 and I8.

We claim: Y

1. A faucet having inlet and discharge passages and a valve forregulating the fluid flow through said passages and an open endedcylinder communicated at a side thereof with said discharge passage, aconduit having a closed endrotatably mounted in said cylinder and adischarge end angularly related to the length of said conduit andpositionable on Vrotation-of said conduit in an upwardly and adownwardly opening position, said first named conduit end being providedwith a pair of substantially diametrically opposed openings registerablewith said discharge passage in the downward and upward positions of saidother conduit end, the opening in registration with said passage in theupward position of said end being reduced in size from the otheropening,V means sealing said iirst conduit end in said cylinder, andmeans for adjusting the conduit lengthwise in said cylinder for varyingthe amount of said last named openings placed in registration with saiddischarge passage.

2. A faucet comprising a body member provided'with a horizontallyextending cylindrical bore and a fluid passageway leading intosaid boreat a side thereof, a discharge conduit having a cylindrical portionfitting in said bore for rotation about Vthe axis of the bore andprovided with diametrically opposedopenings alternately registeringwithsaid passageway upon rotation of said conduit, and meansadjustably'positioning said conduit longitudinally in said bore forvarying the registration of said openingswith said passagewayindependent of the rotative positioning of the conduit.

ARTHUR L. BOSCOW. ARNOLD V. WORTHINGTON.

